In the Saratoga Springs Public Library's Saratoga Room, Terry Blasko looks at an article about the last Spanish-American War veteran in Saratoga Springs. (ERICA MILLER/emiller@saratogian.com)

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A local veteran's rare memorabilia highlights an often overlooked chapter in American history and the role he played in it.

Fred W. Dunson was Saratoga Springs' oldest and last surviving Spanish-American War veteran when he passed away at 91 in May 1971.

In 1936, he chaired the 38th annual national gathering of Spanish-American War veterans in Saratoga Springs, a five-day event that attracted thousands of people from throughout the United States, including Gov. Herbert Lehman, who welcomed the group.

Recently, Dunson's granddaughter, Linda Macica, donated a well-preserved copy of the encampment's official program to Saratoga Springs Public Library's Saratoga Room.

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"He always traveled around the country to attend those conventions," said Macica, a Saratoga Springs native and current Stillwater resident. "He was very civic-minded. He was on the board of education and was very involved with the March of Dimes. He did all kinds of things."

However, Dunson's military service is the thing she's most proud of. The brief Spanish-American War lasted from April to August 1898 and is perhaps best known for Col. Theodore Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill with his Rough Riders.

Dunson joined the Army shortly after hostilities began and was captain of the 96-man Company L of the 2nd New York Volunteer Infantry. He and other local soldiers left Saratoga Springs at 6:20 a.m. May 2, 1898, arriving at Camp Black, Long Island, at 5:05 p.m. that same day. The camp had been formed on the Hempstead Plains a few weeks earlier to support the war effort.

From Long Island, the company went to Chickamauga, Ga., Tampa and then Fernandina Beach, Fla. -- just north of Jacksonville -- a move necessitated by the prevalence of typhoid and malaria that claimed eight soldiers' lives.

The group trained for possible deployment to Cuba. However, the war ended so quickly that Dunson never got there.

But he had answered his country's call in its time of need.

That tradition was carried on by his two sons, William and Fred E. Dunson, who served in World War II. William, a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant, and Fred, an Army corporal, fought in the Pacific and European theaters, respectively.

"They were very proud of their service," said Carole Moreau, Macica's sister, of Saratoga Springs. Their father was William Dunson.

One of Carole's fondest memories from her teen years was driving her grandfather, Fred W., to local Spanish-American War veterans meetings. "Then he would let me use his car," she said, smiling.

The 1936 national convention, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, was chock full of activities, including a memorial service at old Convention Hall on Broadway and ceremonies at Saratoga Battlefield, which hadn't yet become a national park.

On Aug. 31, The Saratogian's bold banner headline read, "Lehman Welcomes Veterans to Saratoga." A sub-headline read, "Fitting place for Great Convention."

Hotel rooms at the Grand Union, United States, Rip Van Dam and Adelphi ranged from $2 (single, no bath) to $7 (double, with bath) per night. A rate card given to visitors read, "Hundreds of fine rooms available in private rooms -- $1 per night up."

The convention garnered extensive press coverage each day, from speeches to soldiers' memories.

The event also revealed political attitudes about issues that are still prevalent today. In 1936, America was deeply mired in the Great Depression, and the convention was held only two months before President Franklin D. Roosevelt's re-election bid against Kansas Gov. Alf Landon, his Republican opponent.

On Sept. 2, The Saratogian's main headline read, "Veterans Urge Deportation of Aliens."

An accompanying story said the convention's Resolutions Committee unanimously recommended that "some 10 million aliens in this country be sent back to the lands from which they came, as a means of solving the unemployment problem of the citizens of the United States."

The 1930s was also a time when high-profile criminals such as Lucky Luciano and Dutch Schultz, who frequented Saratoga Springs, were in their heyday.

The veterans also passed a resolution calling for the destruction of obsolete war equipment "rather than have machine guns fall into the hands of gangsters."

Dunson chaired several Spanish-American War veterans conventions in Saratoga Springs and was the group's state president.

The Spa City has a long history of hosting such events. In September 1907, a national gathering of Union Civil War veterans was held here. More recently, the city has hosted national gatherings and reunions for Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, submarine veterans and USS Saratoga crew members.

Throughout his life, Dunson always took part in patriotic events and rarely missed a parade, especially those involving veterans or the military.

He worked at Saratoga Springs Post Office for 45 years, retiring as its assistant postmaster. He was also the superintendent of Greenridge Cemetery for 15 years.

On Nov. 1, 1933, Dunson wrote to Louis McHenry Howe of Saratoga Springs, a former Saratogian newspaper reporter who became President Franklin D. Roosevelt's closest aide and secretary. Dunson questioned and criticized the government's pension policy.

"I am a postal employee and also a Spanish War veteran," he wrote. "It has been ruled that a government employee may not also receive a veteran's pension if already receiving $50 a month as a government salary. On the other hand, a person in civil life or in state, county or municipal employ may receive up to $2,500 a year as a salary and yet receive a veteran's pension, also. Why the $2,000 difference between a man in civil life and one in government employ is hard to understand. It would appear that the federal employee is unjustly discriminated against."

Howe, in a three-page letter on White House stationery, explained that the law, as written, was designed to prevent federal employees from doubling up on benefits.

"A study is now in progress to observe the effects of the present law and regulations by the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs and recommendations will be made to the President for amendments to the regulations if changes seem in order to assure equitable dispensation of veterans' relief," Howe wrote. "Your communication is being forwarded to the Veterans' Administration for consideration in connection with this study and also for an investigation of the facts with reference to your particular claim."

The letter was signed, "Yours very truly, Louis McHenry Howe, Secretary to the President."